Casement window operator



March '2, 1943. A. LANG,

CASEMENT WINDOW OPERATOR Filed April 5, 1941 Q Sheets-Sheet 1 R. .S. A Mam r M m B L A March 2, 1943. A. LANG CASEMENT wnmow OPERATOR FiledAprii 5, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORY AL 5 ER 7- L 4 N6 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 2, 1943 oFFIcE' CASEMENT WINDOW OPERATOR v Albert Lang,Berkeley, Calif.

Application April 5, 1941, Serial No. 387,020

Claims.

This invention relates to devices for opening and closing windows, beingspecifically directed to devices designed for operating casementwindows.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a casement windowoperator which projects a minimum distance above the window sill,thereby allowing the lowering of shades or Venetian blinds to a greaterextent to prevent vision and transmission of light into the room.

A further object of the invention is to provide a casement windowoperator embodying a lever construction which may be positioned closelyadjacent the window sill, but which still allows ample finger and handclearance because of its mode of operation in efiecting opening orclosing of the swing-leaf.

Another object of the invention is to provide a casement window operatorhaving a handle mounted'on its associated operating mechanism in suchmanner as to be moved automatically from a room protruding position whenengaged by any object, thereby avoiding injury to persons or property.

A further object of the invention is to provide a casement windowoperator in which both a rigid and a hinge connection is formed betweenthe window operating arm and its associated latch member without resortto auxiliary pins or other pivot devices, thereby simplifying the windowoperator as a whole and enabling its production in compact form.

This invention possesses many other advantages and has other objectswhich will become apparent from a consideration of the embodiment shownin the drawings accompanying and forming part of the presentspecifications. This form will now be described in detail to illustratethe general principles of the invention, but it is to be understood thatsuch-detailed description is not to be taken in a limited sense, sincethe invention is best defined in the claims appended thereto.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is a top plan view of a casement window operator, shownoperatively connected to a casement window;

Fig. 2 is a section on an enlarged scale, taken generally along the line2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken generally along the line 3-3 in Fig. 2, partsbeing broken away for purposes of clarity; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, with some of the parts disclosed inanother operative position.

7 As disclosed in'the drawings, the easement window operator is securedto a window frame sill member ID by screws II or other suitable elementsextending through the wall l2 of the operator body, which serves tointerconnect the parallel, fiat top and base members l3, [4 of the bodyin spaced relation. A fiat operating arm I5, with its generally circularhead I6 mounted on the body between its top and base members, extendsoutwardly through a slot IT in the wall I2, and carries a rivet l8 atits end for sliding movement in a channel I9 secured to the underside ofa swinging sash 20 suitably pivoted to'the window frame 2|.

The operating arm i5 is mounted on a bolt 22 or other pivot extendingthrough the top and base members l3, I4 of the body, being movable aboutthe iulcrum 22 by an operating mechanism, which can also serve to lockthe operating arm in any position of adjustment. This purpose isachieved by mounting a latch member 24 in the head of the operating armin such manner that it lies substantially in the plane of the arm 15 andis rigidly connected with it for lateral movement of the two parts inunison. Specifically, as shown in the drawings, the latch member 24 isof generally fiat configuration, being received within an opening 25 inthe inner end of the head [6, with its side faces 26 engageable with theadjacent sides 21 of the opening. Endwise removal of the latching member24 from the arm is prevented by outwardly extending and slightlyelevated ears or wings 28 received within arm pockets 29 merging intothe opening 25. The thickness of the latch member 24 is less than thedistance between the top and base members [3, l4 to permit tilting ofthe latch with respect to the operating arm, for purposes describedbelow.

The latch member 24 is provided with a depending lug or detent 30adapted for reception within notches or serrations 3| in the base member14, in order to lock the operating arm I5 in any position to which ithas been laterally moved or adjusted. Although the force ofgravity'acting on the locking lever 24 is sufiicient to maintain its lug30 in any selected notch or serration 3|, this efiort may besupplemented by a spring member 32 mounted on the locking lever,

with its depending terminals 33 seated within 7 recesses 34 in the latchside faces, and with its intermediate bowed portion 35 engaging theunderside of the body top l3 to urge the locking lever 24 downwardly andhold the lug 30 in one of the selected notches 3|. I

Whenever it is desired to shift the operating arm l laterally, a handleor lever 36 secured to the locking lever 24 is elevated to tilt thelatter upwardly on its ears 28 as a fulcrum and elevate the lug 30 fromthe particular notch in which it was received. While the handle andlocking lever are in this tilted and elevated position, no restraintsare offered by the engagement of the detent 30 with the sides of a notch3|, allowing the operating arm to be rotated on its fulcrum pin 22 bythe desired angle to effect corresponding movement of the swing-leaf 20.Release of the tilting effort permits the locking lever 24 to drop orlower until its lug 30 again is received within a selected notch 3| tosecure the arm l5 and swing-leaf 20 in the positions to which they havebeen moved. This reengagement of the lug in the notch or serration isassisted by the bowed spring 32, if one is utilized. Otherwise, theaction of gravity alone is sufficient to effect such engagementautomatically and maintain the locking lever 24 in its latched position.v r

The operating handle 36 may be secured rigidly to the latch lever andthe window operator employed with safety if the window reveal issufficient to prevent the handle from protruding into the room. However,if such projection 'does occur, it is preferred to non-rigidly mount thehandle 36 on the latch member 24 to permit its inward swinging from theprotruding position. Asshown in the drawings, the handle is mounted onthe upper surface of the latch member 24 for swivelling movement on asuitable fulcrum, such as a swivel screw 31 extending through, thehandle and threadedly secured to the latch member. The handle isprovided with opposed depending projections 38 capable of embracing thesides 39 of the latch member near its outer end to rigidly couple thehandle and latch together, enabling their operation as-a unit wheneverthe arm position is to be altered. Normally, the force of gravity actingon the outwardly directed, overhanging portion of the handle 36 movesits outer end downwardly, about a fulcrum 40 provided by engagement ofthe handle undersurface with the top of the latchlever 24. This downwardshifting elevates the handle projections 38 on the other side of thefulcrum 46 from engagement with the sides 36 of the latch member 24, andpermits lateral swinging movement of the handle about the swivel screw31.

With the force of gravity acting on the handle 36, its projections 38are maintained from cooperative engagement with the sides 39 of thelatch member. Inadvertent sidewise engagement of this handle by a personor object merely swings it inwardly about its swivel screw 31 toward thebody and out of the way, thereby preventing accidents. As a completesafeguard, the handle should be positioned and maintained inwardly whennot in use.

Whenever the position of the operating arm is to be altered, the handle36 is extended outwardly and its free end elevated to reengage theprojections 38 with the sides 39 of the latch member 24', effecting arigid operating connection between the two parts, both for tilting ofthe latch member 24 on its ears 26 upwardly to disengage its locking;lug- 36 ,from'the particular serration 3! in which it wasreceivedand'for-rotating the operating arm- !5, This rigid relationshipbetween the handle 36 and latch member 24 is produced by the engagementof the upper surface of the-handle with the swivel screw head and theunderside of the inner end of the handle with the top face of thelatchmember;

' tioned at a low level.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that elevation of thehandle member 36 not only locks it to the latch member 24, but alsoeffects an upward tilting of the latter to release its lug 30 from thebase plate [4 and allow swinging of the operating arm l5. Release of thehandle permits the latch member 24 to drop automatically and repositionits detent 30 in a selected holding notch 3 l, in addition to uncouplingthe handle projections 38 from the latch and allowing its inwardswinging movement from a protruding position.

A coil spring 4| may be placed between the head of the swivel screw 31and the handle 36 to maintain the projections 38 in engagement ,with thelatch member sides 39. This arrangewindow and away from the interior ofthe room;

although, if desired, suc'h'swinging action can still occur.

The casement window operating device described occupies a minimum ofspace above the window sill, the handle being i normally posi- Thisallows shades, Venetian blinds and the like to be dropped to a low pointfor the purpose of preventing light transmission from the outside.Despite the fact that the handle is normally positioned adjacentthewindow sill, ample finger and hand clearance :member M; The manner ofmounting the latch member 24 in the arm head l6 provides a strong hingewithout the need for auxiliary pivoting 'members other than thoseprovided by the arm and latch member themselves.

The arrangement of the handle 36 on the latch member 24 not only allowsthe casement window operator to. be. mounted with a minimum of clearancespace above the window sill, but also furnishes a safety feature bybeing maintained normally out oficoupling engagement with the latchmember by the force of gravity,pso that upon engagement by objects it ismerely moved without restraint out of the way.

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention, it is to beunderstood that various changes may be made in its construction by thoseskilled in the. art without departing from the spirit of the inventionasv definedv in the appended claims. I

* Having thus described myinvention, what I I body having flatplate-like spaced top and bot- 1. A casement window operator including atom members arranged in parallelism ina horizontal plane, a windowoperating arm having a flat portion lying between said top and bottom-members and pivotally connected thereto for swinging movement in ahorizontal plane,- said flat portion of thetarm being cut out at oneside to forma radia'l opening therein, a. latch member disposed betweenthe top and bottom members and fitting said opening, the configurationof said opening and latch member being such as to form an interlockingmember therebetween to prevent radial andylateral movementof-the latch:member with respect to said arm,v thespacing between the top and bottommembers being such as to permit vertical tilting movement of said latchmember but in an amount insumcient to cause disengagement thereof withsaid arm, a cooperating latching means on said latch member and saidbottom member normally effective to prevent relative lateral movementtherebetween but disengageable upon upward tilting movement of the latchmember.

2. A casement Window operator including a body having a pair ofrelatively fixed fiat horizontally disposed members arranged inparallelism in a horizontal plane and having a pivot pin extendingtherebetween, the marginal edges of said members at one side of the bodybeing arcuate on a radius emanating from the center of said pivot pin, awindow operating arm having a fiat portion fitting between said membersand pivoted about said pivot pin and having an arcuate marginal edgesubstantially conforming to the arcuate marginal edges of said members,the spacing between said members being slightly greater than thethickness of the fiat portion of said arm, said fiat portion of said armbeing cut out at one side to form a radial opening therein, asubstantially fiat latch member of a thickness agreeing with thethickness of the fiat portion of the arm disposed between said membersand fitting said opening in the flat portion of the arm, theconfiguration of said opening and said fitting portion of the latchmember being such as to form an interlocking connection therebetween andprevent radial and lateral movement of the latch member with respect tosaid arm, the spacing between the top and bottom members being such asto permit vertical tilting movement of said latch member but in anamount insufficient to cause disengagement thereof with said arm, thearcuate marginal edge of the lowermost of said members being serrated, alatching lug on said latch member to normally engage said serrations,said latch member being permitted sufiicient tilting movement to efiectdisengagement of the latching lug and said serrations.

3. A casement window operator including a supporting body, a windowoperating arm pivotally mounted on said body, a latch hingedly connectedto said arm for lateral swinging movement in unison therewith about thearm pivot, said latch being tiltable with respect to said arm, latchingmeans on said body and latch for normally holding said arm in variouspositions of adjustment about its pivotal point, a handle pivotallyconnected at one end to the latch and normally forming a radialextension thereof, connecting means between the handle and the latchnormally ineffective to prevent relative lateral movement therebetween,said connecting means being rendered efiective upon upward movement ofthe outer end of the handle relative to the latch when the same is inradial alignment therewith to fix the same together for lateralmovement.

4. A casement window operator including a body having fiat plate-likespaced top and bottom members arranged in parallelism in a horizontalplane, a window operating arm having a fiat portion lying between saidtop and bottom members and pivotally connected thereto for swingingmovement in a horizontal plane, said flat portion of the arm being cutout at one side to form a radial opening therein, a latch memberdisposed between the top and bottom members and fitting said opening,the configuration of said opening and latch member being such as to forman interlocking member therebetween to prevent radial and lateralmovement of the latch member with respect to said arm, the spacingbetween the top and bottom members being such as to permit verticaltilting movement of said latch member but in an amount insufficient tocause disengagement thereof with said arm, a cooperating latching meanson said latch member and said bottom member normally effective toprevent relative lateral movement therebetween but disengageable uponupward tilting movement of the latch member, a handle pivotallyconnected at one end to the outer end of the latch member and normallyforming a radial extension thereof, connecting means between the handleand the latch member normally ineffective so that the handle may beswung about its pivotal connection with the latch member, saidconnecting means being rendered effective upon vertical movement of theouter end of the handle relative to the latch member to relatively fixthe same together for horizontal movement.

5. A casement window operator including a body having a pair ofrelatively fixed flat horizontally disposed members arranged in parallelism in a horizontal plane and having a pivot pin extending therebetween,the marginal edges of said members at one side of the body being arcuateon a radius emanating from the center of said pivot pin, a windowoperating arm having a flat portion fitting between said members andpivoted about said pivot pin and having an arcuate marginal edgesubstantially conforming to the arcuate marginal edges of said members,the spacing between said members being slightly greater than thethickness of the fiat portion of said arm, said fiat portion of said armbeing cut out at one side to form a radial opening therein, asubstantially fiat latch member of a thickness agreeing from thethickness of the fiat portion of the arm disposed between said membersand fitting said opening in the fiat portion of the arm, theconfiguration of said opening and said fitting portion of the latchmember being such as to form an interlocking connection therebetween andprevent radial and lateral movement of the latch member with respect tosaid arm, the spacing between the top and bottom members being such asto permit vertical tilting movement of said latch member but in anamount insufficient to cause disengagement thereof with said arm, thearcuate marginal edge of the lowermost of said members being serrated, alatching lug on said latch member to normally engage said serrations,said latch member being permitted sufficient tilting movement to effectdisengagement of the latching lug and said serrations, a handlepivotally connected at one end to the outer end of the latch member andnormally forming a radial extension thereof, connecting means betweenthe handle and the latch member normally ineffective so that the handlemay be swung about its pivotal connection with the latch member, saidconnecting means being rendered effective upon vertical movement of theouter end of the handle relative to the latch member to relatively fixthe same together for horizontal movement.

ALBERT LANG.

